Q&A: Get to Know RAKE Star Omar Dorsey

Omar Dorsey stars as Roy on the new FOX hit RAKE. I spoke with Roy about how he first came to love acting, his thoughts on the EASTBOUND AND DOWN finale, and what we can expect to see this season on RAKE.

Did you always want to act? Is it something you always knew was for you?Omar Dorsey: Yeah, I did actually! My mom used to be a director when I was young she would direct community theater, so when I was like 2 or 3 I used to always go to the plays that she was directing and I used to always watch. And I was always like “that’s what I want to do.” So I was always doing talent shows, doing monologues, I was doing the talent shows when I was like 5 or 6 so yeah; it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

So you were in the last few episodes of EASTBOUND AND DOWN, how did you feel about the finale?
I loved the finale! It was really good, it’s like, that’s the end they’re not bringing it back. It’s not one of those things that’s like “oh well we can bring it back one more time.” This is the end, it’s how it’s gonna be bam! I wrote my book, this is what it is. So I really enjoyed the finale, I really liked my part in the finale, I like where I was at in the finale. (Laughs)

Did you improvise a lot on the show?
We improvised a whole lot of that show! We had the lines that were there but Jody Hill and the directors left it open pretty much so we could bring in whatever we wanted to bring in, so I just ran with what I could, it was big time fun.

Can you tell us about your new show RAKE and about your character Roy?
RAKE is an awesome show; it’s a remake of an Australian show about this degenerate lawyer who owes everybody money, is in love with a prostitute, owes child support, owes IRS, owes me, but he’s a brilliant lawyer and he really cares for his clients, so he wins most of his cases. My characters Roy, I start off the series, actually the first scene with me and the lawyer Keegan Deane, Greg Kinnear. At a bar we’re enjoying a football game and then I go to the bathroom to beat him up because he still owes me money. Our relationship is really funny and we’re really good friends but yet he still owes me and the guy that I work for money, so he has to understand the dynamic of that relationship.

Can you tell us what we can expect to see next week?
I can’t tell you too much! It starts off with me and my boss have a meeting with Keegan and this is the last straw, everything is on the table. We’re the only people you have debt with now and you need to pay us a certain amount every week, so it amps up a little more this week, and this is how it’s gonna be, there’s no if ands or buts about it. But I mess around and vouch for him, which is a bad thing to do. (Laughs) I tell my boss he’s good for it and that my not be the smartest thing.

So you’ve been in dozens of movies and TV shows, is there any character that you’ve portrayed that you would love to go back to and play again or play differently?
I want to play Dontel again the character I played on EASTBOUND AND DOWN, I loved that character so much he was just so outrageous, and that was the first time I ever got to play anything as outrageous as that. As far as me wanting to play differently, I think the first movie I ever did, Road Trip maybe. (Laughs) Watching it now I’m like “God, I was a bad actor.” But I was like 20 years old when I did that movie maybe, not that I had a right to be bad, but oh my goodness I wish I could do that again.

You can watch RAKE tonight at 9:00 on FOX, and you can follow Omar on twitter at @omardorsey

Victoria Nelli loves TV so much that she is paying $30,000 a year to learn about it in College. When she’s not learning about TV she enjoys writing about her favorite shows, interviewing anyone in the industry that will let her, and ranting about how underrated Parks and Recreation is. She is very much aware of her Netflix addiction, and no she will not be seeking help anytime soon. You can follow her on Twitter @VictoriaNelli